No Hay Más

This is no more

Stone stood there numbed to his core. He would have been a father, but he had killed his own child and for a petty childhood rivalry. Slowly the numbness wore away, anger, rage, built up inside him. Stone turned his attention onto Dick. "We are not finished yet. I will spare you for now." With that Stone teleported himself back to the Hells. He was angry, and the alliance of clans that stood against him would pay for the loss of his heir.

"Miss Jin would like to see you Miss Roth." A nurse told Raven. With Stone departure the remaining three didn't know what to do. They were about to leave when the nurse gave Raven the message.

"You guys go ahead. I'll fly back to the Tower." Raven said sending off her friends. "Lead the way please." Raven told the nurse.

Jinx's room was like any room in a hospital. White, sterile, and dull. Jinx was lying on her bed, hook up to a menagerie of machines which made Raven feel sorry for her. Even if Jinx was a rival of sort, since Raven still wasn't sure about her feelings towards Stone, she was still a person who had just lost her baby.

"You wanted to see me?" Raven asked as she pulled up a chair next to the bed.

"Yes. How did he take it?" Jinx said quietly.

"He was mad and told Dick that it wasn't over. Then he teleported away. Probably to get rid of his rage by conquering more of the Hells." Raven told Jinx.

"See you know him better then you think you do. You'll replace me nicely." Jinx said in a matter of fact voice.

"WHAT!" Raven said sharply.

"Come now, YOU are the heiress to the Blood Throne. You really think Victor would let you have complete power over the Hells without himself as the power behind the Throne."

"No." Raven admitted dejected. She always hoped that Stone would never conquer the Hells, but he was a master tactician and it was only a matter of time given his resources.

"Besides, he's made himself into a noble, if not royalty. It would be very good for him to have a lowly surfacer such as myself as his wife. As his concubine I'm tolerated because of his power."

"But you love each other. Shouldn't that be enough?"

"I do love him. And he loves me, but Victor also loves you, even if neither of you will admit it. I'm happy with my role. I'm respected and even called Lady. But from the get go I know that I could never have him to myself. If I have to share then that is what I'll do. Besides, I've made it easier for you by cowing the ladies of the court." Jinx said with a smile.

"I don't need you to do me any favors. There is no way I'm marrying Stone and even if I did, I'd be Empress of the Nine Hells. I can put any upstart noble ladies in there place." Raven said pointedly.

"Already you've picked out a title for yourself." Jinx said in an amused voice. "I prefer just plain Lady Jinx myself. But that's not why I asked to talk to you."

"Then get to the point." Raven snapped. She didn't like it that Jinx had caught her on the title thing.

"You're the only one of us who can give Victor an heir now." Jinx whispered sadly.

Raven blinked. "What?"

"The doctors say I can't have children anymore. Not in this life anyway. Perhaps when things are settled I can die and hope that you and Victor find me again down below."

"I'm sorry but why would I have to get pregnant by that egotistical pig? He gave me the impression that I'm immortal."

"So were your brother and your father. Their dead now, aren't they?"

"I see your point."

"That brings me to my other reason for bringing you here." Jinx said. "The doctors say I shouldn't have sex for 3 months at least. So Victor is going to be more irritable in the coming months. I was wondering if you'd"

"I'm not giving him my virginity." Raven snapped before blushing at what she had just said.

Jinx took Raven's hand and patted it in a soothing way. "You will in time. He is very hard to resist. That is something else we will have in common. I digress. I was going to ask if you wouldn't mind keeping him from being too brutish. He listens to you just like he listens to me; reluctantly."

"You do know you're asking me to spend time with him." Raven said eying Jinx.

"I know but he can't spend all his time with me here, or the Tower, or in the Northern Fortress. He still has to managed his empire, making sure commerce goes smoothly, the army is in good shape, and back stab those how share a border with him. He is a good administrator. That proof there is some good left in him as I've told you before. He doesn't massacre the population to make them fear him; he helps rebuilt what was destroyed in the fighting. He lets people live out their lives."

"I'm not promising anything but I'll think about it." Raven replied.

Stone stormed into the Great Hall, servants and other generals alike scrambling to their feet to bow or salute the Lord General.

"Marsh the army on all fronts. I want the southern campaign finished within a month. Once the conquest is done, have that army head northeast to join up with the eastern campaign. This foolishness ends now. We march into the heart of the alliance now." Stone issued the orders with the cold and deadly calm that brooks no room for anything but agreement. Stone turned on his heel and began to make his way out of the Great Hall, his officers taking alternate routes out in their haste to carry out Stone's orders.

"FOR THE BLOOD!"

"FOR THE LORD GENERAL!"

The battle cries of his army echoed after his own as Stone charged into the enemy line. Rage fueled him, pumping through his veins. He was blind to any and all threats to him, he only saw the poor soul in front of him right before Stone stabbed, slashed or beheaded the fool. Blood marked his path in the massive cut he made in the enemy lines. Nothing slowed him down, his rage built upon his bloodlust. When they broke and ran he gave chase and cut down hundreds more before his body succumbed to fatigue and the injuries he hadn't noticed he had received. Then he would weep in the solitude of his tent, though his cries were heard throughout the camp. The soldiers thought he wept for the men he had killed, for the loss of worth opponents and Stone encouraged the rumor. The men respected him even more for it, but none of them knew he wept for a child he would never know.

The soul would descend and be reborn just like ever other soul but Stone would never know who that child was, even if he saw him or her. For that he wept.

Jinx stayed with Raven, Dick and Kori at the Tower once she was released from the hospital. For the entire month life returned to status quo, or as close as it could with Jinx added to the mix.

"I can't believe he hasn't come to check up on you." Kori told Jinx. It was a Saterday afternoon and everyone was in the living room have tea. Jinx had taken her time with Raven and turn it into a training opportunity much to Raven's annoyance.

"That's because he's a heartless tin can." Dick muttered earning himself a swat from his wife.

"I'm sure something keeps coming up." Raven said, surprising herself in defending Stone.

"That's probably true. War waits for no one." Jinx added. "Now if you, me, Victor, Dick, and Kori were together in a casual setting, who would pour and in what order, Raven?"

"Damn, I'd be Empress, why do I need to know this? Can't I order a servant to do the pouring?" Raven said flustered. In the past four weeks Jinx had been quizzing her on useless and archaic forms of Infernal etiquette.

"What have I told you about servants?" Jinx chided.

"They see and hear everything." Raven recited.

"That's why they are excellent spies. However, if servants were present it would be a formal meeting and therefore…" Jinx dropped off and looked at Raven expectedly.

"Therefore more real business could be done and the order of who got served first and by whom would change."

"So what is the order for the casual meeting?" Jinx asked again.

"I would pour for Stone because he is a dick, then Dick because he has one, then Kori cause she's a guest, then you and myself last." Raven said spitefully.

"Good, now the formal meeting with all us present." Jinx continued.

Raven rolled her eyes into her head. "Stone, Kori, Dick, me then you. You'd pour."

"Why the change in order?" Kori asked.

"Raven." Jinx said nodding to the glowering enchantress.

Raven gave her and Kori a look of pure evil. "Stone because he is the most important one there. Then you Kori because you'd be the lady governor and a guest. Then Dick because he is your boy toy. The myself because I would be the ranking hostess. Finally Jinx would pour because she's Stone's hor." Raven finished with a sweet smile.

"Just because I'm trying to help doesn't mean you have to act all bitchy about things. Your period is no excuse." Jinx scolded Raven.

"That's what I keep telling Kori." Dick piped up.

As one the three women rounded on Dick with hard glares. "It IS an excuse. You try bleeding, having headaches, cramps, bloating and just being in a shitty mood for 3 days every month!"

"Yeah, and I have to suffer through it every month." Dick muttered under his breath.

"What was that dear?" Kori said leaning in close with a menacing glint in her eyes.

"Nothing dear."

The smell of burned flesh, blood, and rotting corpses assaulted his nostrils. The battle was long over, the siege destroying the last bastion of strength of the cursed alliance. The Hells were his now but the real work had just begun. The army was disbanded and reconstruction was already underway. The final 1/3 of the Hells would take years to recover from the devastating blitzkerg Stone saw rendered unto it. The smoldering wreckage of the last fortress would be left, a grim reminder of what his fury would bring. However, now he had no excuses. He had to face the greatest battle of all; facing Raven and Jinx.

Stone couldn't deny that he loved Jinx, she alone understood him as he was now, the almighty Overlord of the Nine Hells. He could trust her with secrets he could trust no one else with. That is why she knew about Raven. The marriage would be political. There was no way around it. Tear had begun his campaign using Raven as a banner to rally men, Stone had taken over, and now that the Hells were once again one, Raven would have to be put on the Blood Throne. Stone wasn't going to try and put himself on the Throne as Tear had planned. Instead he would be the power behind the Throne.

However, Raven also represented something that could have been, the before he became the incarnation of evil, after Raven herself of course. There would have to be an heir of his blood and hers. Even if he had another child with Jinx first the Throne wouldn't be able to go to that child. Stone's power was strong but not strong enough to support one not of the Blood on the Throne. The Hells would be plunged into civil war again. Stone would not let that happen but would he be able to keep things with Raven strictly business? If he succumbed to Cyborg's feelings, what would become of Jinx?

Upon the smoldering wreckage Victor screamed his frustration. Two persona's at different ends of the spectrum, and both were after different girls. Even with eternity to ponder over the situation Victor knew he would never be at peace with him over whatever decision he made.

Another Saturday rolled around at the Tower. The previous night happened to be very productive for Dick and Kori and they were just getting up while Jinx and Raven were sitting down to lunch.

"Long night?" Jinx asked as she handed Koir a cup of coffee.

"Three times and again this morning." Kori said before she took a sip of coffee.

Raven promptly spat up her salad and gawked at the two women.

"What?"

"I really don't need to be hearing that sort of talk while I'm eating."

"That reminds me. It's four times last night if you count that. I think I almost killed him last night but it was so worth it." Kori said off handedly.

"I'm eating in my room." Raven said picking up her plate.

"Sit down. Half of court talk with the harpies is lewd and impolite conversation as each one tries to out boast the other. All the niceties are saved for when husbands are present." Jinx ordered Raven.

"The coffee room at work is like that too. Except I can't say anything." Kori commented. Raven and Jinx gave her curious stares. "Command doesn't know about Dick. They also um, frown upon interspecies relationships." Kori explained.

"The other ladies aren't completely thrilled that the mighty Lord General chose a surfacer as his consort but I've put them in their places." Jinx said proudly.

"Well Stone is practically a god down there. I'm only a Colonel with a governing desk job." Kori pointed out.

"Come now, dear. Colonel is just a step under General and I don't know of any General's on planet. You know for a fact you are the ranking officer on this planet." Dick as he sat down next to Kori and gave his blushing wife a kiss.

"It doesn't bother you that Kori is in charge of the occupation for on Earth?" Jinx asked.

"Don't go there." Dick replied harshly.

"Now Dick, be nice. It's not an issue." Kori added offhandedly.

Jinx nodded but noted how silent Kori and Dick were for a while. Whatever peace they had made between them worked, even if it was tenuous peace. Everyone's discomfort was brought to an end when a black man walked into the kitchen. Jinx was the first to notice him.

"Victor?" Jinx murmured as she looked at him. Skin covered him, all of him. His hands, arms, neck, the part being shown by his open shirt, and all of his bald head. His left eye still had the red glint to it but it was easily dismissed in the light of the rest of him. Dressed in tennis shoes, nice pants and a red T-shirt Victor looked normal.

The shock and awe of his appearance wore off quickly. Dick was out of his chair and in a defencive stance in front of his wife, not minding at all that he looked ridiculous in bed hair and a short bath robe. Kori and Raven stayed seated, though Raven had to fight the urge to rush to his side. Jinx did just that.

"It's real." She breathed as she ran her fingers over Victor's skin. Victor smiled and hugged Jinx in return. "I'm sorry I wasn't around sooner."

"War waits for no man." Jinx recited telling Victor that she understood and forgave him.

Victor looked over at Dick. "Not today. It takes far too long to cultivate and graft skin onto metallic parts for me to risk damaging this suit." Victor said tightly.

"How did you get in here? I changed the security codes myself." Dick spat. A touch on his arm drew him out of his stance but he still was ready to attack.

"You forget that I designed and built the security system. Until you tear apart the system I will always be able to get in here." Victor replied coldly. He glanced at Jinx and then at Raven to get their attention once more. "The war is over. The Hells are one again Di'Candra."

"You expect me just to go with you?" Raven asked somewhat accosted.

"Not this very moment. The nobility are expecting you at a pre-wedding ball in a week. After that you should be given several months to plan out the wedding. It is expected to be the biggest event in the history of the Nine Hells. Neither your father or brother bothered to get married." Victor said matter of factually.

"I'm expected to give up my life here though." Raven pointed out.

"Pretty much. You've run from your blood for too long as it is. I'm not strong enough to hold the Hells together on my own. Not with you still alive. The Blood will sit on the Blood Throne. I will not let you rip the Hells apart again in another war of succession for the Throne. You can come on your own accord, plan out the wedding to your liking and set your affairs in order up here or you be taken below by force and we can have a wedding tomorrow." Victor said in his quiet cold voice that he had perfected as Stone.

Raven glared at Victor for a long minute before she answered. "I'll come."

A/N: I know, I know, horribly short and a very horribly done chapter at that but it's something. I'll admit that I wrote myself into writer's block last time but I do know where I am taking this. I have plenty of time this semester so I should be able to finish this fic this year. No promises though. To straighten something out off the bat, the Victor persona is being used to illustrate his misgivings and doubt over Jinx and Raven, thus the Stone and Cyborg persona's finding a happy medium in his baser personality.

LockDown over and out…